As we work to bring even more value to our audience, we’ve made important changes for those who receive Ad Age with our compliments. As of November 15, 2016 we will no longer be offering full digital access to AdAge.com. However, we will continue to send you our industry-leading print issues focused on providing you with what you need to know to succeed.

If you’d like to continue your unlimited access to AdAge.com, we invite you to become a paid subscriber. Get the news, insights and tools that help you stay on top of what’s next.

4: Karen Jennings

Senior exec VP-human resources and communications, AT&T

Published on October 09, 2006.

POWER PLAY: AT&T, one of the world's best-known brands, will be regrouping into one of the biggest, strongest players in the upcoming telecommunications vs. cable wars. The telecom powerhouse is parlaying its U-Verse home entertainment service and soon-to-be 100% ownership of Cingular Wireless into a powerful communications package. While it has been pouring more than $1 billion into traditional media outlets, AT&T and Karen Jennings, 55, also are establishing a beachhead with the youth market by sponsoring music events through its Blue Room website; developing seehowtheylive.com, a site showing the homes and lifestyles (with lots of product plugs) of baseball, basketball and tennis players; and rolling out the U-Verse package of digital TV, DVR, VOD and high-speed internet through innovative neighborhood consumer parties.

DOWNSIDE: A venerable brand like AT&T can face headaches when trying to reach the youth market. It could be a particular problem on the wireless side when the telecom returns to the market with the AT&T Wireless moniker. The creative on its $1.2 billion campaign introducing the merged company hasn't excited industry observers, but AT&T says it's working as the company makes the transition to a more consumer-focused marketer. Like Verizon Communications, AT&T is making a foray into the tricky home video entertainment scene via U-Verse. All that, and the new AT&T is moving from a risk-adverse environment into a new unregulated world as well.